Assembly structure for making integrated circuit chip probe cards

Abstract

This disclosure proposes an assembly structure for building probe cards to test square integrated circuit chips. The test probe card assembly structure has one or more wings located at 90° angles to each other upon which probes are laid in a parallel manner for attachment to a probe card. This allows 10 construction of the probe card so that probes touch contacts directly. The probe tips do not touch the contacts at an angle θ, called the fan out angle. The probes also do not differ in their inclination angles β. As a result, the force at which the many probe tips touch the contacts is relatively constant throughout. In addition, the probe tips are less likely to scrub past the surface of the contact onto the insulation surface of the chip and in doing so damage it. The test probe card assembly structure also contains an epoxy groove, which controls epoxy flow so that the position of the probes stays aligned in the correct plane. The epoxy groove also prevents variance in beam length. An alternative embodiment of the present invention can make probe cards for simultaneously testing multiple chips and includes a probe card for testing multiple chips.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A probe card for simultaneously contacting contact pads being positioned in a zig zag path along a perimeter of a plurality of integrated circuit chips, said integrated circuit chips being arranged along a diagonal axis, said probe card comprising: 
       A) a plurality of substantially parallel linear probes having a tip for contacting said contact pads;  
       B) a structure for fixedly holding said probes, said structure comprising:  
       I) a corrugated surface having individual surfaces corresponding to a projection of said zig zag path along a nonzero angle β, each of said individual surfaces fixedly holding at least one of said probes such that said tips are positioned correspondingly to said zig zag path;  
       II) an edge correspondingly shaped to said zig zag path such that said plurality of probes have substantially equal beam lengths.  
     
     
       2. The probe card of claim  1 , wherein said probes are attached to said corrugated surface with an epoxy layer. 
     
     
       3. The probe card of claim  1 , wherein said individual surfaces form an array of alternatingly opposing planar surfaces corresponding to a number of first parallel lines alternating with a number of second parallel lines, said first parallel lines and said second parallel lines being part of said zig zag path. 
     
     
       4. The probe card of claim  1 , wherein said integrated circuit chips are attached in the form of a wafer. 
     
     
       5. The probe card of claim  1 , further comprising a sheath with a plurality of holes for aligning said probes.